so a good friend just gave me a 1977 can am 250. it appears to be a mx3. the motor is stuck and the front wheel hub is shattered. thats the worst of it. its got a cool preston petty headlight fairing with a p277 stamp on it, neat, it seems pretty solid and complete. impressive build quality! magnesium everything, alloy seat pan and a big sticker on the gas cap that says competition use only, no warranty applies to this model.
stored inside for 20 years or more. cdi ignition! looks aftermarket? mototek model cd40. anyone have any info, thoughts... id love to hear more about this burly looking rig

Bump Stop

03-15-2012 03:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PTC
(Post 18224587)

so a good friend just gave me a 1977 can am 250. it appears to be a mx3. the motor is stuck and the front wheel hub is shattered. thats the worst of it. its got a cool preston petty headlight fairing with a p277 stamp on it, neat, it seems pretty solid and complete. impressive build quality! magnesium everything, alloy seat pan and a big sticker on the gas cap that says competition use only, no warranty applies to this model.
stored inside for 20 years or more. cdi ignition! looks aftermarket? mototek model cd40. anyone have any info, thoughts... id love to hear more about this burly looking rig

because we both started breathing that year, it feels a kinship to me and wants you to ship it to Wisconsin.:lol3

seriously though, how bout some pics?

PTC

03-15-2012 04:08 PM

76 for me but I hear ya. Most of my toys are that era, pick up only or fly and push!
ill try and get some pics tomorrow after work as the bikes at the whse. My girls always wanted a too big for her two stroke so it might just turn into another project:evil

Love the "Important notice sticker".
And I see by the newspaper on the floor its not house trained yet.
You must have more bikes than you need if your going to ditch this bike.

PTC

03-16-2012 03:36 PM

thats just from cleaning it up! but give her a while she'll probably leave a spot. i have the sickness, i have too many and too many are projects like this. my buddy just called and said he has got the airbox and a different can am tank for me, i dont know how the hub broke because the hoop actually looks real good so maybe something broke inside and it grenaded? the exhaust looks really solid and im not sure the rear fender is right? school me? i asked to have the thread title contain the name, so maybe someone will have some info on this:ear

Valleyrider

03-16-2012 05:05 PM

The photos are great!! They speak to me... They say they want to move to Idaho and get a spool hub transplant.
The result would make it the basis of my next shorttracke project!!!:evil

grimmboy

03-17-2012 05:31 AM

Man, I miss me some Can-Am :cry

Enjoy the day, Grimmy

PTC

03-18-2012 08:28 AM

cant find much info on this bike but after finding this i may have to keep her...this is copied from canned-ham.com

the MX-3 included key developments in suspension, with Can-Am following the trend with laid down shocks and greater fork travel. Marzocchi forks replaced the Betor at the front, with an extended swing arm at the rear, improved overall suspension travel.

The 250 model of the MX-3 was known as the Black Widow. The bike produced over 35bhp, with the small tubular frame and swing arm struggling to handle the power. Produced for a single year, it remains one the most sought after collector models.
The Legend of the Black Widow

The MX-3 250 is known as the Black Widow, but you won’t find that name on any sales brochures. The reason why goes something like this:

The MX-3 was produced at a time when the thought of making bikes was already starting to wane at Bombardier. The bike was built on limited budget, as Bombardier had refused to invest the money in a new chassis. Laying the shocks down has already been tried by other makes and in a desperate try to keep up with the ‘70’s suspension chassis race, Can-Am followed suit.

In the early test stages Jeff Smith reportedly looped the bike and refused to ride it. Jimmy Ellis tried and after a hair raising practice session in which a spectator was serious hurt, declared the bike “a black widow” – meaning it was lethal. Unfortunately the French Canadians took the declaration as a seal of approval (assuming Jimmy meant the word as an antonym) and commissioned special decals for the rear fender. But the American dealers took exception to them and stripped off the decals, with Bombardier being forced to issue a recall notice to remove them.

But by then, the name had stuck. The Black Widow is now the most desirable of any collection. And yes it’s still as lethal to ride!

stainlesscycle

03-19-2012 06:23 AM

i have a project mx-3 here... the hubs all cracked like that, good luck finding the right one. mototek ignition is aftermarket. original is bosch. i'd be interested in maybe buying it if you're gonna sell - shoot me a pm..

PTC

03-19-2012 10:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stainlesscycle
(Post 18250257)

i have a project mx-3 here... the hubs all cracked like that, good luck finding the right one. mototek ignition is aftermarket. original is bosch. i'd be interested in maybe buying it if you're gonna sell - shoot me a pm..

ive gotta think on this one for a while, some info i found says the mototek cdi was sold as a dealer installed option.... this one may be hard to part with all of the sudden. what causes the hubs to break like that? if i do end up selling youve got 1st dibbs.

Sniper X

03-19-2012 04:04 PM

I think there were a few magnesium hubs that did that kinda stuff back in the 70s. In those days they built everything to be as light as possible then strong. I am willing to bet you'll find a spare easy enough.